I Can't Call You a Friend Anymore
by Matthais Unidostres
Summary: After the aftermath of the Dark Matter crisis, the hero has time to reflect on everything that has happened, and what he has gone through. So now, as he sits with the partner on the hill with the big tree, he comes to a certain conclusion, and must tell him something very important.(Super Pokemon Mystery Dungeons spoilers)


_**FULL ON SPOILERS FOR THE TWIST ENDING AND EPILOGUE OF SUPER MYSTERY DUNGEON**_

 **"I Can't Call You a Friend Anymore"**

"Hey Tam," I said to the Tepig sitting next to me in the shade of the tree.

"Yeah, Matt?" he replied, turning to me with that smile of his.

It hadn't been very long since we've started using these shortened names for each other. It also hadn't be very long since Tammy and I had been reunited. Right now, we were visiting his home of Serene Village, and were resting atop the hill with the big tree. This spot was such an important place to the two of us, the Mudkip and Tepig that had achieved so much and saved this entire world. This hill is where Tam and I became friends. This is where Ampharos let us become Junior members of the Expedition Society. This is where Tam explained to me that he was Mew in his previous life.

And so, as I thought about everything that had happened, I realized that right now, something else important was about to happen between us. And this time, I would be the one to send the message.

"Tam. . ." I said again, not sure how to go about this. I didn't want to loose my nerve, so I decided to just go with what floated to the top of my mind. "Do you know what my life was like. . . before I was a Mudkip. . . when I was a human?"

Tam's smile slipped away, and that made me nervous. The nervous look on his face didn't help.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Tam asked, giving me a sad look.

My confidence faltered a little bit, but I knew that if wanted to do what I wanted to do, I had to know _everything._ So I braced myself and said, "I think I have to, Tam. Go ahead. I'm not afraid."

Tam traced his front left trotter along the ground, then gave me a sympathetic look and said, "You. . . were an orphan, Matt. You lived by yourself."

I nodded, strangely not feeling anything after hearing this. It honestly didn't really surprise me to hear this, as if I sorta expected this to hear this about my past life.

"I'm sorry, Matt," Tam whispered.

I smiled, which caused Tam to look surprised. "Don't be," I said, "It's just another reason why I belong _here_ , in this world."

Tam blinked at me, then smiled as he looked off into the distance, saying, "I guess now I know how you must have felt."

"Huh?" I asked.

"Not knowing my family. . ." he replied.

"But you're Mew," I said, not fully understanding, "You sent your spirit into the future. To be reborn."

"But before I got my memories back, when I was growing up, I sometimes thought about what happened to my birth parents," Tam said nostalgically.

"Or if you had any brothers?" I blurted out quickly, and without thinking.

Tam thought on this, then shrugged and smiled, "I guess. . ."

I mentally Mud Bombed myself for that slip up, and quickly refocused my thoughts and said, "But you had Carracosta."

Tam's smile became softer and warmer. "Yeah, you're right. Good old, Pops," he said, his mind clearly moving through memories he had with his adopted father, "You know, I now kinda appreciate all those lectures he gave me. He was always looking out for me, showing me what was right. . ." Tam's eyes began to water with tears of joy as he said, "I'm so glad that I finally made him proud of me. . ."

"He's a really good dad," I said gently.

Tam nodded silently, tears trickling down his face and down the sides of his snout. At that moment, a certain impulse overtook me. At another time, I'd be surprised and weirded out about it. But in light of recent events, I understood it completely. So, I slowly got up, moved closer to Tam, and gently wiped the tears from his cheeks and snout. Tam stared back at me, looking surprised at my action, but he didn't pull away, which was a good sign.

I sat down again, much closer to Tam than I was originally. We were side by side, sitting on that special hill with the big tree. It was right then that I knew it was time to say what I had been holding in within me.

"Tam," I said, looking right at him, "I've sometimes thought of how it must feel. . . a feeling of. . . family."

Tam cocked his head at me, looking a bit confused on where I was going with this. "What about Mr. Nuzleaf?" he asked.

I smiled and shook my head, "I don't have anything against him, and he really does mean well. But no. He's a good friend, and he's helped us so much, but family. . . no. I can just tell. . ." My smile then gave way to a more solemn expression, and I continued, "Anyway, during the time you were gone. . . I had a lot of time to think about things. I thought about how I felt. How I felt about you not being there." My eyes were already getting moist but I pressed on, "I kept thinking that, even though I wanted to stay in this world, the fact was that I wanted to stay _with you._ That I didn't want to stay like _that._ Then, as I thought more and more about you, everything we've done, and what loosing you had done to me, I realized that. . ."

I turned away from Tam's shocked face and looked out into the distance. Unable to face him as I was about to say what I knew I had to say, I took a quick breath and came out and said, "I can't call you a friend anymore."

I could hear Tam gasp right after those words came out of my mouth. I heard the heartbreak in his voice as he stammered, "W-w-what?"

I felt my own heart begin to break as well as his pain became my own. I could already see the look of hurt and sadness on the poor Tepig's face. Part of me wanted to shout out to him and tell him I didn't mean what he thought I meant, and to quickly explain what I felt, but I resisted. It had to be this way, and I had already crossed the threshold anyway, so it would be all for nothing if I didn't go through with it. It also helped that I somehow knew that Tam wouldn't leave. That he would stay there, under the tree with me, only a few inches away from me, until he fully understand why I said what I had said.

So, still looking out over Serene Village, I said, "Tam, I don't think the role we played long ago is the _only_ reason we got drawn together in Serene Village. And even without our memories, we still became so close. Like I said before, loosing you. . . hurt me more than anything I could possibly imagine. So, when I finally thought it all through, and then took into account the. . . the kind of spark I felt in me when you finally were able to come back, I finally understood. What I felt when you disappeared _wasn't_ the pain of loosing a best friend."

Then, mustering together all my courage, I turned to face Tam. Trying my hardest to keep his tearful look of grief and confusion from getting to me, I said to him boldly, confidently, and with all the sincerity and heart I could muster, "It was the pain of loosing a _brother_."

Tam was clearly shocked by this, as I expected. I only hoped that he would understand what I was saying, and returned my feelings. It felt like forever, staring at each other like that. Tam was still crying a bit, and my eyes were tearful as well. Before long, I just had to turn away, fearing that I had made a terrible mistake.

"Matt. . . do - do you really see me like that?" I finally heard him say.

I turned back to him, and with a look of wonder, and perhaps hope, Tam asked me again, "Do you _really_ see me as a brother?"

Nodding my head, I said with great certainty, "Yes. Yes I do, Tam. It's kind of weird, really. I think it started all the way back that time when were still at the school, when I hurt your feelings by accident and we almost drifted apart. . ." I looked down at the ground in shame and said, "I didn't fully realize it at the time, but I did know that I felt horrified about nearly ruining thing between us. But then, you came with me to save Budew, you showed that you trusted me. And after that. . . it all just fell into place. Like it was all meant to happen."

I nodded determinedly and said, "Tam, there just isn't anyone else like you. You're important to me, Tam, and I don't ever want to have to say goodbye to you ever again. You're more than just a partner. You're my-."

I faltered at that moment, unable to complete the sentence, and I knew why. Gathering my nerve, I stood up and turned my body towards him and said, "Tam, I still remember the night you told me that you wanted me to be my friend. You were. . . kinda blunt, and didn't pull any punches, and to be honest, I kinda liked that." Standing proud of the words I was saying, I boldly asked, "Tammy, can we be brothers? I really don't have any family, but I'd like to know how it feels. So. . . can we? . . . Be brothers?"

There are no words to describe how nervous I was feeling right then, but the growing look of amazement and delight on Tam's face lifted my spirits.

"It's amazing," Tam said as he stood up as well, "The part of me that's Mew is really amazed that it turned out like this. And the part that's Tammy is. . . is just so happy!" Crying more tears of joy, he continued, "But what matters is that I, _all of me,_ know how you feel. Matt, I. . . I hated having to leave you. It hurt so much to leave, and I can't imagine how much it hurt you," Tam hung his head in shame and said, "and I hope you forgive me for that-."

"Don't even say that," I said sternly, "I never blamed you for that. I never will. I told you, you're _very_ important to me."

Tam sniffled as tears still fell from his eyes, and he said with an elated smile, "You're very important to me to, Matt. And if Pops has taught me anything, it's that you don't need to share the same blood in order to be family. I'd be honored to be your brother."

As my heart soared from hearing the answer I wanted to hear, I quickly stepped forward and rested my head on his shoulder. Probably out of the same kind of instinct that caused me to make the move, Tam mirrored it towards me, and we stood close together in our makeshift hug.

"It's like. . . we've _always_ been brothers, but didn't know it," Tam said.

"Yeah. . . but we know it now," I said, my heart glowing with warmth along with Tam's, "And that's something we won't ever forget."


End file.
